I want to upgrade to a XH-A1 but I need to know if the A-1 can be used to convert analog VHS and Hi-8 tape to SD before I sell my GL-1.

The feature is commonly called "DV pass-through" and yes these camcorders have it.

Don, just stating the obvious. You 'll need a VHS and Hi-8 deck to play the tapes back of course. :)

Richard

The feature is commonly called "DV pass-through" and yes these camcorders have it.
I have been trying to use the A/D function but even studying the manual for days, I cannot find the analog input into the camera? Where do you connect the signal from the VCR? Hope you can answer. Thanks.

Yeah, it's as clear as mud in the manual.

It's the lowest circular socket on the terminal strip on the right hand side of the rear of the camera.

It's labeled A/V1. Ensure that the adjacent switch is set to the lower setting.


CS

Yes I tried that plug, even though the manual shows it as an output only. I did hook up the special cable that came with the camera from the VCR to AV1, but when I tried to set it up, several of the menu choices are greyed out, and that's probably what's wrong, but I can't figure out why that is happening.
Thanks for your suggestions and help, and I will keep trying.
It''s a swell manual, except when it is missing what you need.
I wonder if I should hit the "reset all" button in the camera menu??

Probably not at this stage, just yet.

You in VCR mode?

Tape / card switch set to "tape"?

VCR O/P not by Scart with only a I/P connection and not a O/P connection?

Followed all the steps in the "Recording an External Video Signal" (Analogue Line In) section?

Go through it one more time, by the numbers.

Could be a faulty connection, just about anything.

If that don't get it going, I'm stumped.


CS

You are not trying to record the analogue input to HDV instead of DV mode by any chance? That happened to me once and it took a while to figure it out. The camera won't upres from an analogue input but it will dub HDV through Firewire.

Had the same problem this summer and it was just as Colin said. Make sure you have set the camera to DV for copying/ingesting through the analogue-in port.

If you have a Digital 8 camera or deck, you can probably play your Hi8 tapes out through the firewire port, but I've never seen any improvement in copying Hi8 to HDV.

If you are just trying to convert VHS to DV. Just go this route.
Dazzle Video Creator Plus HD - Video input adapter - Hi-Speed USB - External (http://www.google.com/products/catalog?rlz=1T4ADFA_enUS367US368&q=dAZZLE&um=1&ie=UTF-8&cid=16317032992856192466&ei=70hITZ-cHIyasAPaie2SAg&sa=X&oi=product_catalog_result&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CEYQ8wIwAg#)

I finally got Canon on the phone and they explained that my external monitor, fed from the component output of the camera, is cut off when you record from VCR to the camera tape. So you have to look at the little screen on the camera, and all functions are still there.
Yes, you need to use DV, NOT HDV, when copying VCR to computer editing program.
Also to feed out to your Firewire; the camera tape also runs whether you want it or not. So anyway I got Movie Maker and Vegas 9 to both accept the feed from my VCR through the camera. I hope I can remember all the steps next time!
Thanks for your suggestions, and I hope this has helped someone else.